Excitement is building for the Niagara Summit, the largest building automation open system summit in the world. Tridium will be unveiling the latest Niagara innovations from edge to cloud. Click to watch Jim Bland, Tridium’s President and General Manager, give the top reasons to attend this year.

Dear valued VYKON Partner, We have released a VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3 update, along with an updated Niagara AX 3.8 platform (3.8u2) that supports this release.

VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3u1 is a best-in-class access control and security system that goes beyond access control for total integration. Customers can use VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3u1 to centralize operations and unify the building ecosystem, while protecting everything inside.

Niagara AX 3.8u2 has been released with VYKON Enterprise Security 2.3u1. This update resolves issues both with Windows 10 service pack updates changing Host IDs and server modifications made by the National Weather Service, and addresses defects with the Java Applet.

One of the great things about going to smart building conferences like the 2016 Niagara Summit is discovering new products from around the globe and then getting to introduce them to the ControlTrends Community. Michael Kirkland introduced us to their EnergyVision Package. This software tool automatically collects and analyzes all forms of energy consumption. Visually appealing graphics and charts guarantee a well-ordered and easily-understood presentation of the information you need. Energyvision helps you to collect, archive, evaluate and visualize your energy consumption and enables you to realize substantial reductions in energy costs.

Forest Rock develop software & hardware products, and design graphical user interfaces to operate buildings more intelligently, bringing together data from diverse systems such as Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning; Lighting; Energy Monitoring; CCTV; Fire and Life Safety Systems; Access Control. Our solutions help to create sustainable buildings that are more efficient to run, with a lower carbon footprint, and enhanced security and comfort.

Forest Rock are the UKs foremost developers of middleware and web-based UI applications for operating buildings. We provide a range of services to Integrator companies across the US, Europe, Middle East and Africa. They are certified Tridium Niagara developers, and distributors.Their product ranges include EnergyVision Energy Management software, SkySpark analytics, and the Krypton range of building automation products built on the power of the Niagara Framework.
Well done Michael.

Today is a momentous day for the Niagara Community. The highly anticipated Niagara 4 is here! It’s been about 10 years since we’ve had a release of Niagara with this much power and potential. Niagara 4 builds on the legacy of the Niagara Framework® in many new and ground-breaking ways, and is designed to help businesses take full advantage of the Internet of Things. Some of the most exciting advancements include:

At this point I clicked “Create Report” to save this search in case I want to review the data later on.

Notice in the image above the number of exposed Niagara systems in the United States is 27,182. I ran a report last week and the number was 15,948. The numbers should be heading down, not up.

This number represents (if you divide it by the number states) an average of 543.64 Niagara systems per state that are exposed to the world with the only thing between them and a hack is a username and password in the Niagara station.

The top five cities are listed on the left from the search results.

Houston —– 384

Chicago —— 308

Denver ——- 301

Seattle ——– 104

Indianapolis – 83

The next thing listed is equally disturbing. Not only are the systems exposed on the web with only a username and password to protect the system, most are riding on top of an operating system that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Almost twice as many systems are running Windows XP than Windows 7 or 8. Support ended for XP April 8, 2014.

The next most common operating system listed is Windows 7 or 8 (lumped together). Mainstream support for Windows 7 ended January 13, 2015. Windows 8.# still has support for a few years yet. This report does not distinguish between the two.

The image below shows the AX versions that are running. This statistic is both encouraging and discouraging.

Apparently AX versions have been upgraded to more secure versions, but based on the statistics listed above, they were left exposed on the web and on an operating system that is no longer supported.

We all know this is something that we cannot change overnight, and at the end of the day we cannot force the end user to spend the money and make the changes necessary to make their systems safer. However, we need to architect new systems securely and make the necessary recommendation to our customers on how to secure their legacy systems.

If you would like more information on any of my other post, email me at fred.gordy@smartcore.com.

The August 2015 Update Releases are available for download on Niagara Central. The updates include important enhancements that increase the security of a Niagara AX system, including a newer revision of the Java Virtual Machine. VYKON strongly encourages all customers to update Niagara AX to one of the newly available releases.

In addition to security enhancements, these updates have resolved many issues. Click the links below to find the release notes on Niagara Community:

Niagara AX 3.6, Update 4
Niagara AX 3.7, Update 1
Niagara AX 3.8

If you have any questions, please contact your VYKON account manager or contact Customer Support via support@tridium.com.

Young gun, Rob Allen, caught up with “The Godfather” ( yes, he will make you an offer you can’t refuse), Ed Merwin, at the 2015 Realcomm|IBcon conference. What was the offer? Well, here is a hint, the number 4 is involved.

Ed gives Rob and update on Niagara 4 and his take on the conference. Did you know that the JACE 8000 won a DIGI award at this year’s RealComm/IBcon? Well, you do now. Congratulations to Ed and the team at Tridium. Good job Rob!

We look forward to seeing you there! ABOUT US: For more than 15 years, Tridium has led the world in business application frameworks—advancing truly open environments that harness the power of the Internet of Things. Our products allow diverse monitoring, control and automation systems to communicate and collaborate in buildings, data centers, manufacturing systems, smart cities and more. We create smarter, safer and more efficient enterprises and communities—bringing intelligence and connectivity to the network edge and back.

We are pleased to announce that Tridium is moving forward with plans for the next-generation Niagara Framework®. Below is a schedule of targeted launch dates for Niagara 4 and JACE 8000, as well as other key milestones.

From buildings and data centers to manufacturing plants and smart cities, our next generation of the Niagara Framework helps businesses improve strategic decision-making, optimize performance and become more competitive and more profitable. Among many notable enhancements, Niagara 4 is less reliant on browser plug-ins, faster and easier to use, and provides advanced visualization along with new search, security and navigation tools.

Click here to learn more about our industry-leading platform and the many features and benefits it offers you and your customers.

ABOUT US
For more than 15 years, Tridium has led the world in business application frameworks—advancing truly open environments that harness the power of the Internet of Things. Our products allow diverse monitoring, control and automation systems to communicate and collaborate in buildings, data centers, manufacturing systems, smart cities and more. We create smarter, safer and more efficient enterprises and communities—bringing intelligence and connectivity to the network edge and back.

Training and knowledge exchange is very important at Lynxspring. We are committed to making each of you as effective as possible with our technologies and products so we can enable you to achieve the very best technical knowledge and expertise you can.

With this in mind, I would like to remind you of our upcoming scheduled NTCP Niagara AX Technical Certification Classes (see schedule below). The goal of this 5-day Niagara AX Certification Technical Training course is to educate students to a basic level of technical expertise necessary to effectively and efficiently design, engineer, and program projects using the NiagaraAX Framework.

Niagara 4 Training

Niagara 4 will require a separate certification. This certification will be offered through a full, one week Niagara 4 NTCP course available with the launch of the product here at our training facility as well as through an available CBT- on-line bridge course open to anyone who is NiagaraAX certified at the time of the release of Niagara 4. This will also be offered through Lynxspring.

We recognize that time is money and the CBT is designed to save you both. Partners who are NiagaraAX certified can take advantage of the reduced course cost and capitalize on the time saved by allowing you to take the training when it best fits your schedule and at your own pace.

The availability date and cost for this CBT have not yet been finalized. We will make an announcement as soon as we can.

What is the Niagara 4 Bridge Course?
The Niagara 4 Bridge Course is a self-paced e-learning course highlighting new features in Niagara 4. The course consists of several modules that provide multiple methods for learning such as expert videos, demonstrations, simulations, and technical documentation. The student will take a mini exam at the end of each module to qualify to be Niagara 4 certified.

Why do I need a new NTCP certification if I am already NiagaraAX certified?
Tridium has announced that NiagaraAX certification is a separate credential than Niagara 4 certification, and users who wish to be certified must be trained on Niagara 4 even if they are already certified for NiagaraAX.

What is the benefit of taking this bridge course instead of the full 1 week certification?
The student can choose to use the content style which suits their learning best and allows them to take the training when it best fits their schedule and complete the training at their own pace. This CBT eliminates the need for the student to travel, thereby eliminating any associated traveling costs and employee

When will eligibility for the Niagara 4 bridge course be cut-off? When must I be NiagaraAX certified by?
Tridium has not announced the final date for which NiagaraAX certification will be accepted for Niagara 4 Bridge course eligibility. The only announcement to date has been that at launch, the Niagara 4 Bridge course will be available for those who are already NiagaraAX certified. The upcoming NiagaraAX NTCP courses at Lynxspring will definitely qualify based on Tridium’s announced launch window is: May 11-15 2015, June 7-13 2015 and July 12-18 2015. We also have multiple openings available on the calendar this summer for offsite courses if desired. We will provide further guidance when announced by Tridium.

I am already AX certified, when can I register for the Niagara 4 bridge course and begin my certification?
The bridge course is in its final testing stages and is expected to be ready no later than the launch of Niagara 4. Lynxspring is working closely with Tridium and we will update you as soon as the course is officially open for enrollment.

Please contact our training team if you have any questions.
Toll free: 877-649-5969 | E-mail: training@lynxspring.com.